Aquamarine Power Award for Innovation

Wave power generator developed by Aquamarine Power took the energy award for Innovation in Engineering at the Engineer Technology and Innovation Awards 2009 in England today. Officially launched in November off the coast of Scotland, the “Oyster” is the only wave generator currently in operation. It rests on the sea floor just off shore, reaching just above the waterline. Energy is generated as it flexes forward and back with the waves.

Oyster is unique amid wave generators due to its low impact on the environment, relative low weight, and small onshore space requirements. Aquamarine was unable to comment on the cost to develop the Oyster, but they expect it will be competitive to other devices under development. Each Oyster should produce approximately 2MW.

“We expect our first demonstator farm to be deployed in 2012″ and they have an agreement with Aircity to “develop 1,000MW worth of sites by 2020″ said Angela Monteagle, a marketing executive with Aquamarine.

“Winning this award is fantastic news for Aquamarine Power and for the team at Queen’s University, Belfast. It recognizes that together we are driving innovation and progress in the wave energy industry.” said Martin McAdam, Chief Executive Officer of Aquamarine Power. The Oyster has garnered several awards including, “British Renewable Energy Innovator Award 2009″, and “Emerging Technology Promoter of the Year Award 2008.”

Waves run day and night year round regardless of weather conditions making this technology possibly more reliable than solar and wind. Still in the development stage, the next few years of Oyster’s operation will spread more light on how well they compete.